AN: Thanks so much, Canadaroks and everyone who is still following my story! The reviews were lovely! And yes, I have found a book, but thank you for the help! My friend gave it to me, so, in my free time (which is practically none seeing as its nearing finals,) I will read it. As well, sorry about the Phil/Pricilla mix up. If you guys don't mind, I'm just going to add Phil in… As well, this chapter was done to Andare by Ludovico Einaudi

Anne awoke the next morning no more decided than she had been the night before. Stella had told her to tell him. She wanted to, but…

Frustrated, she did her hair distractedly and had to try to tie the ribbon on the back of her dress four times before succeeding at last. After a quick appraisal in the mirror, she skipped down to breakfast with a coil of nervous tension set in her belly.

What she saw there stopped her cold in her steps. A policeman stood at the door, hat in his hands, speaking to Pricilla. He spoke quietly, and in a tone that suggested that he would much rather be elsewhere.

"…A terrible thing," he was saying, "…we are still looking into it, but it seems very cut and dry."

"What is?" Anne demanded from the end of the hallway, heart constricting painfully. Surely there was nothing wrong…

"Anne," Pricilla said in a disturbed voice, "Royal Gardener's dead."

Anne found that she could not speak. She could barely process what the policeman said next.

"…we found him in on the floor of his basement with several stab wounds inflicted on his chest and neck. Miss Shirley, where were you between the hours of eight and ten last night? This is a formality, but we must ask."

After that, the interrogation became more intense, but Anne, dazed as she was, recalled everything she remembered, except, of course, for the red wine incident which could insinuate her. The policeman, a detective by the name of Richard Shaw, was not harsh, but he was certainly becoming familiar with her and her goings-on, especially when they involved Royal.

"Thank you, Miss," Detective Shaw said when he had wrung her out thoroughly for information, "We shall be recording this for the case."

"Sir?" Anne asked, "Why would anyone kill him?" She sounded like a child, she knew it, but she needed to know.

"From what I have told your friend earlier, it seems to have been a violent break-in. Many things were stolen, and a great amount of property was damaged. Mr. Gardener was lifted of all his valuables including jewelry and this," he held up an exquisite diamond right with white gold and the words 'Anne, my love, you shall always be so.' "We found this on the lawn outside the house. It seems to have fallen out of the crook's pocket or hand while fleeing. It was too smudged to find any fingerprints by Mr. Gardener's but if we find a lead, we shall inform you promptly. You may have it if you like."

Anne took the ring and with a forced grace, let the detective out and moved to a chair in the parlor. She curled up, removed her hat, and stared into the dormant grate. The ring was cutting into her hand for she had not known how hard she was gripping it, and she relaxed her fingers so that it fell to the floor. She did not bend to retrieve it.

She felt as if she was under water. When Stella offered her a cup of water, she drank it silently and when Pricilla placed a blanket about her shoulders, she had not realized she was shivering. Gilbert came to the house to offer his condolences, and Anne's glazed heart broke open.

She cried from shame and pity; she cried because Gilbert held her close, and she cried because she felt lost. She and Royal had become distant, but it did not make the pain of losing a friend any less.

Gilbert stayed with her for what seemed an eternity, and finally left when the sky outside turned from sapphire to indigo and then to black. He helped her to her room, saying as he settled her in her bed, "to hang with the rules."

He made her drink the broth Stella made her before she slept, and pulled the covers over her shoulders with a tenderness that defined Gilbert Blythe. He kissed her gently on the cheek and stroked her hair, wishing her well. To her inquiry as to if he would come back in the morning, he nodded with a small sad smile and said that he would.

AN: it's a short chapter, I know, but hey, new stuff has happened! Anne still needs to tell Gil about Christine, but I'm biding my time